Eudunda Travel Guide

Eudunda Things to Do

As we were entering Eudunda by car, we saw a silhouette of a man & dog, this was Colin Thiele & Dog "Gustav," from one of his stories.

Eudunda, established 1870................ I found a main street full of historic buildings and vine-draped verandahs, a lot of the old buildings that hadn't been painted recently, and not a tourist in sight! There is a Family Heritage Gallery, which has an old renovated cottage, displaying material relating to the history of the town and some of the townsfolk, I didn't have the time to visit the inside! It is located at 19 Bruce St and is open Friday to Sunday from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. A drive around the town found more historic buildings and Laucke's flour mill, before we drove out of Eudunda and to our next destination.

Well, its main importance is "Colin Thiele," was born and lived here for a while!

In Australia, we know him well, as most of us would have studied his books at some time through schooling. It wasn't a real surprise to find a bronze sculpture of Colin Thiele in the Centenary Park, as he was such an important Australian person. He was born on 16/11/1920, at Mutter Knabe's Nursing Home in Eudunda, and spent his first 16 years at Eudunda.The Thiele family were among the first German migrants to arrive in South Australia, and were among the first to swear the Oath of Allegiance in June 1839.

Colin Thiele attended Teachers College and went to the University of Adelaide. He then started his career as a teacher and author, writing poetry, biography, short stories, novels, drama, local history, radio scripts, children's literature and educational works. He contributed to other authors' books and numerous magazines, and had a number of his books adapted for films or TV series.

During the 1960s, his children's novels, often described life in rural South Australia. His first story was "The Sun on the Stubble," then came" Blue Fin," "The Fire in the Stone", and lastly, his most famous, "Storm Boy."

Colin Thiele won many awards, too many to list. He was awarded the "Companion of the Order of Australia" in 1977 for his services to Education and Literature.He wrote more than 100 books before he died on 4 September 2006. His last book, "Fiery Salamander" was published in 2007.

The Sculpture of Colin Thiele and the Pelican, is from his Film & Novel, "Storm Boy,' which was filmed down the Coorong in South Australia.

The town gardens were established in 1936, to celebrate the centenary of Australia.I was quite surprised how much there was to see in these gardens.For the children, there was a kids railway track and a scrub.I found a lot of tiles which had been painted by children and adults in the district. The artwork was celebrating the Century of Transport.Toilets are located in the park, and there is a nice picnic area with bbq's under a shelter. This is a very nice park.

Eudunda Local Customs

As we were travelling from Burra to Eudunda, we saw beautiful rolling hills, sheep in the paddocks, and quite a few abandoned homes. We even saw an abandoned Church.Why so many I wondered?

During the 19th century, German immigrants were attracted to the area by the freedom to practise their faith and by the promise of good farming land. The land in the hills was good, but not beyond Goyder’s Line, an imaginary line on the map, beyond which farming was deemed too risky. Many came and made a living out of the mallee trees, selling them for firewood in Adelaide when times were desperate, and living comfortably when the rains came and there was a crop to reap.

But, the good times didn't last! Drought took a hold, so did the Rabbit's in plague proportions, and the mice as well. The Mice ate anything and everything, no rain, no wheat, they tried to keep their Sheep alive, but in the end, had to shoot them.No wonder in the end, they couldn't continue on, and they abandoned their homesteads which are still standing today, just as they had left them.

In the northern areas of Australia, we saw plenty of these beautiful gum trees.

I find them a very attractive tree, one you would want to find in the extreme temperatures of central & northern Australia. They grow along River beds and river plains, so when you find them, you know water is close by. They have a good canopy of leaves providing shade, much needed on hot summer days!We saw tree-less plains and then Trees in a squigly line, sure enough, they were following a creek bed. They stabilise the river banks, can grow up to 45metres in height, and have a smooth bark which they shed. Quite often, the base is covered by rough, reddish/dark brown bark.

It is true, they are nicknamed "Widow Maker", as they have a habit of dropping large boughs without warning. No wind needed, just the heat of the day!The trees not only rely on rainfall but also on regular flooding, since flooding recharges the sub-soil with water. I love the colour in the bark, the twisting branches and the many hollows in the tree, the result of falling branches. Quite often, the whole of the tree trunk is hollow and big enough to shelter in. Sometimes, there may even be an "open window" made by nature.The hollows provide homes for many species, including a range of breeding and roosting animals such as bats, carpet pythons, and birds The Superb Parrot, a threatened species, is amongst the bird species that nest in the River Red Gum. Where-ever you see these trees, you will find lots of Bird life, especially Parrot species.

Eudunda Off The Beaten Path

Marrabel is home to the "Marrabel Rodeo," the oldest continuos rodeo in Australia and one I have been to and enjoyed many, many times! It is classed in the top five rodeos, and features in the Longreach Stockman’s Hall of Fame.

The Marrabel Rodeo evolved from a picnic programme arranged to raise funds for new tennis courts in 1934. In 1935, the 1st Rodeo was held, the new Tennis courts were built, and still today, money from the Rodeo goes to the local community. [local sporting clubs, community groups and service clubs]

At Marrabel, is a wonderful bronze statue of "The Queen of buckjumpers."Curio was her name, a Brumby bought in a mob in 1945 and known as the unrideable! Unbeaten for eight years, she became the most famous buckjumper in Australia, only being successfully ridden in 1953 by Alan Woods.For many years the fame of Marrabel Rodeo rested upon Curio. Curio retired in 1964, 19 years after her debut. She bore 4 live foals – Son of Curio, Curio’s Special, Curiosity and Curio’s Farewell, all were successful Buckjumpers. She died at the age of 28 years, in 1970.